What Kind of Blue Are You?
by Luckie Punk
Summary: A dear old friend of Ned and Sally's has arrived back in town after a decade, bringing his teenage daughter with him! She's feisty, she's stubborn, she's a livewire. But is she exactly what Jojo needs to be come out his shell? T, so I can be crude.
1. Prologue: Landing in Whoville

Okay, so, this is my first story...please be gentle. Dx Um, sorry that the beginning is so short, but...hey, it's a prologue. I wanted to get it out there. Please review, so I can make stuff better. Enjoy!

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There was something different in Whoville today.

First off, the weather was very odd. Wind pushed the speck this way and that, whipping WhoTrees into windows and sent light, little Who's flying into the cautious hands of their mothers. Second, the highest cliff in Whoville had two grown Who's perched on it. This might not have been an unusual occurrence on any other day, when the weather was nice, but quite frankly…well, today was _not_ a nice day to be outside. Not only that, but these two Who's were none other than the Mayor of Whoville and his wife!

Ned McDodd and Sally McDodd were huddled together in a nervous bundle of excitement. "Ned, are you really sure that they're coming _today_? I'd hate to think that they're muscling through this wind!"

Ned nodded, determined eyes on the skies and said, "It's today. Lazlo's never been late for anything in his life, and he's not about to start now."

Sally smiled, remembering some memory from years past, back from the times when Ned had a Whofro and everybody wore polyester jumpsuits. She quickly shook out of it when she caught something on the horizon. "Ned! Ned, is that them?"

Ned peered into the distance, tight lipped in concentration…and as the tiny, black dot grew closer and gained some shape, his face broke out into a grin and he yelled, "IT'S THEM! THEY'RE HERE!"

Sally let out an excited laugh, and the dot turned into a multi-colored, hot air balloon with a large smiley painted on it. And as it got even closer, one could make out two shapes in it. It rocked back and forth, but its path was steadfast towards the cliff. Ned jumped up and down, waving his arms, "LA-A-A-A-AZLO! RU-U-U-UBY! LAND HERE, LAND HERE!" Sally waved her arms as well, and joined Ned in a cheer. She couldn't help it. Neither of them had seen their good friend in a decade.

She heard a joyous, "AHA!" from above, and she had to pull Ned out of the way for fear the hot air balloon would crush him as it landed. He kept yelling over the roar of the wind, and Sally kept laughing with pure happiness. Finally, the balloon touched down, perfect and poised, and the flame went out.

The Who in the balloon was about the same age as Ned, but taller and skinny as a rail. He had light brown fur and a shock of crimson red hair, wearing a typical aviator uniform. He didn't bother opening the door of the wicker basket he'd floated in on. He hopped over it, threw out his arms and yelled, "NED! SALLY!"

Ned and he ran at each other, crashing and laughing and hugged a manly Who hug. Sally was soon to follow, giggling as the Who swept her up in a hug and yelled, "OH, JOYOUS DAY! HOW'S MY FAVORITE COUPLE?!"

"We're great, Lazlo, just great!"

The redhead laughed, spinning around and breathing deep. "It's so good to be HOME! Smell that fresh air, that wondrous dust that smells of a TRUE CITY!"

Ned was too busy laughing to say anything. Sally asked, "Where's Ruby?"

"OH!" Lazlo snapped his fingers, running back to the wicker basket and, once again, hopped into in. He bent down, beyond the eyes of his two friends, and emerged with a sleeping girl in his arms. "HERE SHE IS!" He held her out, as if presenting a gift.

The girl rubbed her eyes as she woke, "Are we there yet?" She was about the age of Ned and Sally's son, but held a startling resemblance to Lazlo. Her crimson red hair was gathered in a messy up-do on top of her head, and her light brown fur was the same color as his. She was just as thin as he was, but nowhere near as tall. The only other differences were their eyes and demeanor. While Lazlo's were brown, hers were a vibrant shade of blue, many shades darker than her powder blue sweater dress. And…well, Lazlo oozed a radiant sort of enthusiasm, tinged with a hint of crazy. She was calm, sleepy...and a little more serious.

But it didn't' stop her face from spreading into a grin at the sight of the two Who's in front of her.

"Uncle Ned! Aunt Sally!" She threw her arms out, and her "Uncle" Ned easily plucked her from her father's arms (she was a little on the vertically challenged side, as Who's went.) "RUBY!" He hugged her tight, "Oh, we missed you, kiddo!"

Ruby laughed, and as soon as Ned set her down, she hugged Sally, "I missed you guys, too!" Sally lovingly hugged her back, "How are you, sweetie? We haven't seen you in forever!" She held Ruby out at arm's length, teary with joy. "Oh, you're getting so big! And you're still absolutely beautiful!" Something caught in her throat, and she quickly stifled it with a laugh. But Ned knew exactly what Sally was thinking.

Ruby so reminded them of Lila.

Lazlo picked his daughter up and boomed, "NOW, POINT US IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NEAREST FOOD, MY FRIENDS!" Ruby groaned "Dad!" rolled her eyes, smiled. She was used to her father and his insane outburst. Ned, still laughing, clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Oh, we missed you, Lazlo. C'mon, you two, we've got dinner at home. We can catch up." Ruby started to say, "Dad-" but Lazlo's eyes went wide at the sound of dinner. "That sounds wondrous!"

"Dad-"

"I haven't tasted one of Sally's home cooked meals in…by Who, a decade!"

"We made Hash!"

"Dad, I really think-"

"And right afterwards, we've got a house set up for you! It's beautiful, wide open spaces, and all your experiments have already been transferred."

"I picked out the cutrains myself, Lazlo!"

"You've always had an eye for curtains, Ned."

"DAD!" Ruby rolled out of her Dad's arms, rushed back to the balloon, and pulled out four large suitcases. "LUGGAGE!"

"I KNEW I WAS FORGETTING SOMETHING!" announced Lazlo, who rushed back to his daughter (who was drooping under the weight of the suitcases) and snatched all four from her. He carried them easily. "See?" He said quietly to her, hefting the cases, "I don't droop. I enjoy being tall."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Showoff." She nabbed one of the suitcases and stuck her tongue out. Lazlo laughed, led his daughter back to Ned and Sally, and the four set out for town.

A town that Ruby could barely recall called Whoville.


	2. Ch 1 : Nobody Knows Me At All

I GOT REVIEWS!

I'm so happy. (: Thanks so much, reviewers, I hope you enjoy this next chunk of story. Sorry if it's a little short, and...well, tell me if you find problems with my writing. Pleeease keep on reviewing, and I'll get the next chunk of chapter out as soon as I can. Have fun!

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"WOAH!"

The two Who's, one very short, the other very tall, pushed through the doors of their new home. The tall one, one Dr. Lazlo Kelsey, was balancing all four suitcases after _insisting_ to his daughter that he carry hers. He teetered.

"Dad, Dad, can you manage?" Ruby Kelsey, Dr. Kelsey's daughter, was circling him with her arms in front of her, ready to jump. "Dad?"

"Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, what little faith you have in your genius father!" The voice was muffled, but audible. "I could…do this with…my eyes closed! IN FACT-"

"Don't EVEN think about it." Of course, thinking had never stopped Dr. Kelsey before. He shut his eyes tight, walked several paces forward, and felt all but one suitcase slip from his grasp.

"DAD!" barked Ruby, sliding her arms under the falling suitcases in the nick of time and barely able to keep them up. "What did I say?" Ruby groaned under the weight of the heavy cases, and she couldn't see. But when she heard her father exclaim, "THIS PLACE IS MAGNIFICENT!" she knew she'd lost him. Dad had a short attention span.

She heard the patter of his feet on the tile as he ran away to explore. Way to go, brilliant Doctor.

She let out an exasperated, but familiar, sigh as she placed the suitcases down as gently as she could (she heard a loud _thunk_ echo through the house) and finally looked up at her new home.

_Oh, good Who._

She was in a gigantic, circular entryway. The tile below her was sparkling, creamy white, and the walls were a pale green that reminded her of spring. She looked up, gasped at what she saw. The circular room's ceiling was at least six stories up, with a beautiful, paned window for a roof that she could see the night sky through. All against the wall was a spiral staircase made of wrought iron, and rooms and doors were scattered against the walls every now and again. This place was huge!

_Dad's gonna get lost_.

As if on cue, she heard a yell from one of the lower rooms…or, so she thought. "Ah, Ruby dear? I've seemed to have lost myself. Would you mind finding me?" Ruby let out a choked laugh, still stunned by the giganticness of it all, and yelled back, "I'M COMING, DAD!" She started up the stairs, running till she called, "Dad?" at one of the large, open rooms.

"GETTING WARMER!" something called from inside.

I walked in slowly, noticing that the room had a gigantic window seat, and it was painted pale blue. It had a single staircase, painted a cheery white. Ruby walked towards it, peered down…then groaned. It branched off into a bunch of different staircases, which branched again, or into walls, or back.

It was like an M.C Whoscher painting come to life in their own home.

"Ruby?" called Lazlo, not sounding a bit panicked. Ruby, however, was choking and freaking out. She was supposed to find her dad in _that_?! Though…" CALL AGAIN!" she yelled.

"RUBY!"

She concentrated, waiting till the echo died…then headed as far right as she could. Her ears and hearing were fairly good. She called for him occasionally, pulling a multicolored ribbon from her hair every now and again and tying it to the banister. It stood out perfectly, so she could find her way back. She finally found her dad after three rights, two left's, one center, another left, another right, two centers, and a right. The last legs had been easy; as soon as she had caught sight of her father's bright red hair…it was like a beacon.

"Great job, Ruby!" cheered Dr. Kelsey, clapping wildly. "Thanks so much, kiddo."

Ruby sighed, rubbing her temples, then looked up at her dad and asked, "Dad, explain your thought process as to why you went down here, and how you got here so dang fast."

"GLAD YOU ASKED! Well, you see I…"

As he rattled off some nonsense on his brain, Ruby took his hand and said, "Mmhmm, Dad, that's fascinating." She followed her ribbons, untying them in a quick yank as she walked past each one, finally pulling her father up the last steps. She was clutching a handful of rainbow ribbons in her hand and completely out of breath…her Dad was still talking cheerily.

"So, that's why I'm so fast, kiddo! You really should eat more Roast Beast-Oh, Ruby; you look very out of breath!" He kneeled over his daughter, who'd collapsed on her back and was breathing hard. "You look tired!"

"Yeah, Dad," she panted, "tired. Mind if I find my room?"

"Oh, no problem! Off we go!" He heaved her up, slinging her over his shoulder like she was a sack of flour.

"DAD!" she squealed, laughing as her father spun around in circles. "Dad, stop, I'm gonna be si-i-i-ck!" The good doctor screeched to a halt and said, "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

"AUGH!" shrieked Ruby, as her father sprinted out of the room and up the spiral stairs, not even breaking a sweat. Ruby was a little scared, considering the fact that she was so high off the ground (which she was _so_ not used to) and they were going so fast. She was laughing and screaming as her Dad went farther up the stairs.

He finally stopped in front of the highest door in the entire house.

"I'll be back up with your suitcase, okay, Ruby?" He set her down with a 'THUMP' and patted her head. "Go on in." he started back down the stairs, this time at a slower pace.

Ruby, winded, shook her head, resting her body against the door. Her dad cracked her up sometimes. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at the gleaming doorknob with suspicion. Was her room going to be some weird puzzle? Or just a big black hole that she could fall in? OR (and this suggestion was her least favorite,) the worst torture of all…painted flamingo pink and covered in Hannah Whotana posters. She let out a shudder.

_C'mon, Ruby, just open the door already. You're tired. You need sleep. Get going._

She'd take sleeping in the stairway to sleeping in front of Hannah's too perky, fake-smiling face all night.

_Just open the door_.

She took a deep breath, turned the knob, and pushed the door open with a big shove. She had her eyes scrunched closed...she didn't open them until she had closed the door behind her (lest her father see a reaction to a poorly decorated room. She took another deep breath…then opened both eyes.

"HOLY MOTHER OF WHO!"

It was perfect.

The walls were a beautiful blue that matched Ruby's eyes, and the ceiling was painted to look like the night sky. It had wood paneled floors and a furry rug in the center. There was a wooden bed in the corner, with a bedside table next to it, and a roll-top desk in the other (complete with a banker's lamp!) Her laptop was tucked into the desk, and she immediately rushed to it and spun around with it in her arms. "MY BABY! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

And there! Her acoustic guitar, Rusty, was in the corner on its stand, and she had no doubt that her drum set was in the house…somewhere. In it's case, under her desk, Iris! Her most loved violin.

There was an old fashioned, pale yellow telephone on her bedside table, and she squeaked in delight. She set her laptop down, and then saw her whoHome plugged into the wall, ready for something to occupy it. And she knew just the thing.

She delicately reached into the pocket of her dress (Ruby never wore anything without pockets) and pulled out the pride and joy of her existence…the little, fire truck red beauty that to this day, held no chips, scratches or smudges. Her whoPod.

She lovingly placed it on the whoHome, and saw it's opening screen for the first time in three days (she'd run out of battery and been way to afraid to attach it to Dad's homemade solar charger, ever since _last_ time.) She clicked the ON button of the whoHome, and stared at it…until the charging symbol appeared in the upper right corner of her whoPod. Ruby let out a contented sigh and explored the rest of her room.

She had her own bathroom, which was a sunny yellow color, complete with a shower, a bathtub, and sink. It already had shampoo and conditioner and soap set up, which Ruby was beyond grateful for. She needed a shower, _bad_.

The only thing left was her closet, which was fairly large and had a little light she could flick on. All the clothes her dad had sent to Ned and Sally were already hung up.

"KIDDO!"

"AUGH!" screamed Ruby as her father burst in through the door, holding her suitcase. On his face was a big, open mouthed grin that meant he was excited. "YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I'VE DISCOVERED!"

Ruby, heart still pounding from the sudden surprise, hesitantly asked, "What, Dad?"

"I HAVE CREATED A SMOOTHIE CONSISTING OF ONLY WHIPPED CREAM AND WALNUTS!" he yelled triumphantly. Ruby grinned, laughed and said, "Great, Dad." He nodded eagerly and said, "I'll be in the lab for the rest of the night if you need me! Night, kiddo!" And with that, he was gone, off down the stairs and her door swung shut.

Ruby chuckled, and then she shut the door of the closet and flopped down on her bed. Ugh, she was stuffed. She'd eaten so much at the "short" dinner and Ned and Sally's. It had basically been a let's-catch-up session, considering that all the younger Who's were asleep and all the older Who's were out. She hadn't met a single one of their children; something Ned said would change uber quick. She was looking forward to it, actually.

Sally had said something about a son who could show Ruby around tomorrow at school (EW, WHOVILLE HIGH) but Ruby had quickly turned down the offer. She wasn't gonna burden anybody on her first day of school. And that hint of hesitation in Sally's voice when she'd introduced the proposition? Yeah, no. If Sally was hesitating, the kid probably was too cool for it.

Ruby sighed again…she seemed to be doing a lot of that this past week. She'd spent it in her father's hot air balloon, sailing all the way from her beloved Why Town to _Whoville._ Dad had wanted to come back, see Ned and Sally, and go back to the town he once lived in. He said it was ripe with scientific discoveries…basically meant it'd give him more opportunity to carry on with his weird experiments. He'd given Ruby the opportunity to stay in Why Town with her friend, May, but…well, truth be told, Lazlo would probably wither and die without somebody to take care of him.

Ten years. She couldn't even remember this place. And what tiny fragments she _did_ remember, she either didn't find them very important, or way too painful to look at.

She shuddered, shaking the thoughts from her furry little head. She sat up, rubbing her temples, a little tired and needing some musical therapy. She sat up, walked to grab Rusty from the corner…and something caught her eye along the way.

The faintest of cracks along the wall.

She stared at it, "Huh." She peered at the perfectly vertical line that went from her floor to a little above her height…then turned horizontal, running about the width of two Ruby's. And then, it went back down, forming the perfect shape of a door, dim behind the paint. A door with no knob.

Surely somebody had noticed this.

Ruby propped Rusty against the wall. She looked around, as if someone was going to bust in at any moment (like her father, again.) And then, she cautiously pushed at the panel. Nothing. She felt along the edge, feeling for a catch, or a release, or _something_.

"Found it!" she whispered. She pressed the tiny little button she'd found, embedded into the wood next to the door. It cracked open half an inch. She pried her long, furry fingers into the crack and with a grunt of exertion, pulled it open with the sound of old paint and glue giving way.

Okay, so, by the looks of it, nobody had noticed.

The door opened to reveal a small, closet sized room…that went straight up. It had a black, tight, spiral staircase directly in the middle, and the wallpaper was old, cracked, and yellow with age. The floor was dusty, as was the staircase. Ruby looked inside, called, "Hello?"

It echoed _up_.

She looked up, and realized that the staircase did not right up, up to a trap door on the ceiling maybe…fifteen feet up.

The logical side of Ruby said that it would be stupid to try and go up these old as dirt stairs. She might get stuck. The trapdoor probably led to some weird ol' attic. And it would probably fall through under her near minimal weight.

Logic never really won with Ruby.

She clutched Rusty in her left hand, "C'mon, boy, we're going exploring," and started up the spiral staircase.

If Ruby had been any taller, she would've had to duck as not to hit the stairs above her as she climbed. As it were, she and Rusty were the perfect height (her guitar was almost as tall as she was.) When she reached the trapdoor, she tucked Rusty under her arm, braced both hands against the trapdoor and pushed with all her might.

With a creak, a snap, and a pop, the door flung open…revealing the bright, still night sky.

"No way…" murmured Ruby, who climbed out, set Rusty on the ground next to her…ground?

The door had opened to a perfectly circular, cement platform, On the outside of the platform was the glass of the windowed roof Ruby had seen when she walked in.

I was on my roof, way above the world.

I laughed softly, and it echoed in the absolute, current silence of Whoville. Where had all the noise went? The wind was gone, and everything was frozen still. She'd caught the city in a perfect state of peace.

So, she'd ended up in Whoville. Far away from Why Town, her real home, as far as she was concerned. She was separated from her best friend in the world, May. She'd left the one place she had a guaranteed invite to every party, concert. A place where everybody knew her name, and everybody wanted to be Ruby Kelsey because of her kooky Dad, her snappy comebacks, her cynical nature. For a place that had pure, immovable silence in the middle of the night. She couldn't even comprehend the trade.

With Rusty in her hands, she started strumming familiar chords, over, and over, and over again. It was easy, something she'd done a few times before.

"_When I was a child, everybody smiled….Nobody Knows Me At All…_

_And very late at night…and in the mornin' light…Nobody Knows Me At All."_

She sighed, smiling into the night, "_I got lots of friends, yes, but then again…Nobody Knows me At All. Kids and a wife, it's a beautiful life…Nobody Know Me at All."_

She looked out on the city, "_And ohhhh…when the lights are all low…Oooh, oh oh…With someone I don't know…oh oh oh, oh oh oh."_

She stopped.

She heard something, and it wasn't just the reverberating of her raspy voice. The silence had broken, if only slightly. Down there, in the city! She saw a blurry, gray figure. It was all she could make out. It was frozen in a road from…what was that gigantic building, some sort of observatory? It seemed to be heading into the depths of a neighborhood…and somehow, she knew it had heard her.

Aw, frick.

The blur slowly walked her way, she thought. It seemed to make only an inch of progress…before changing its mind. It headed away.

The only thing she could think to do was retreat back into her warm room (she had no idea it had been so cold up there) and slam the trapdoor shut. She needed sleep. And a shower.

And a new place to live.

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Oh, my. :O Who is this mysterious gray blob? Was it coming from that old observatory? Is Ruby ever going to stop moping? Where in the heck did she put her ribbons? Which instrament is her passion? Take some wild guesses, guys.

So many questions. (: I adore questions.

Review, please! 'Niiight!

P.S. The song was, "Nobody Knows Me At All"-The Weepies 3


	3. Ch 2: Disturbia

Ruby Kelsey was having a bad day.

First of all, she'd woken up late (since Dad was half in his lab, half making breakfast) and as soon as she'd gotten up, she'd headed straight left for her bathroom. She didn't remember that she wasn't in her old room in Why Town until she slammed into the wall.

"OW!" She'd rubbed her head and yelled, "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" She made a full 180 turn and sped into her new bathroom. Brushed her teeth, applied a coat of Who-Doo Girl Cherry Lipgloss. Rushing through her closet, she'd picked out the only thing she felt uber confident in: a blue windbreaker over a simple white tank, and a pair of jeans. She made sure to wear her fake, blue Buddy Wholly glasses with the whole ensemble, feeling like her old self again. Sporty, with a dash of nerd-chic, and a whole lot of cool confidence that usually only tall people possessed (which she was totally faking, by the way.) She grabbed her backpack from the ground, gave a quick goodbye to Iris and Rusty, and zoomed down the stairs as fast as she could.

"HI, DAD! BYE, DAD!" She yelled, rushing into the tricked out kitchen in where Dad was drinking one of his whipped cream smoothie things. "Ruby, wait! Don't you want any breakfast?"

"No time, Dad! Love you, see you after school!" Ruby, in one swift motion, hopped onto a kitchen chair and kissed her Dad on the cheek as he leaned over considerably. She was a short little Who, yes she was. "Bye, Kiddo! Good luck!"

She jumped out the front door…and to her dismay, saw a big, yellow school bus departing from her corner. "WAIT, STOP!" Ruby waved her arms, running after it…but it sped up and left her in a trail of dust.

Coughing and hacking exhaust, Ruby shook her fist at the school bus and yelled, "JUST YOU WAIT, AS SOON AS I GET MY HANDS ON SOME PAINT, YOU'RE GOING TO BE WISHING RUBY KELSEY NEVER STEPPED FOOT IN WHOVILLE! YOU MANGY OLD SCHOOL BUS, YOU'RE GOING TO BE A BRIGHT SHADE OF PUKE WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!"

That was when she'd run all the way to her high school, receiving snickers and stares as soon as she'd walked in the friggin' door.

She made her way to the front office, whoPod plugged faithfully into her ears, drowning out all the laughs that she shot glares at.

_It's too close for comfort…throw on your break lights, you're in the city of wonder! Ain't go'n place nice, watch out you might just go under, better think twice! Your train of thought will be altered, so if you must falter, be wise…you left your mind in DISTURBIA._

As she passed a few couples making out against the walls, jocks beating up on helpless nerds…she couldn't think of how right that song felt. Back at her school in Why Town, everybody had been accepted. Your individuality was your identity, and _she_had been an individual. Here? They'd probably chop off her head if she mis-stepped around the cheerleaders. Shaking her head and heading to grab her registration info, she walked fast and prayed.

_Best four years of my life. Yeah, right._

* * *

Jojo McDodd was having a bad day.

Biiig surprise.

As soon as he'd stepped off the big, yellow school bus (where he'd been tripped and had a 'kick me repeatedly' sign taped to his back) he'd known that today was going to be…bogus, as Milo would say. Today was going to be completely bogus. He stepped over the curb, silently praying that he wouldn't trip over it…that had happened yesterday and _man_, that had hurt. He subconsciously rubbed his forehead, wincing at the bruise that had went as fast as it came. As he walked towards the front doors of Whoville High, he passed a group of giggling freshmen girls, all who paused just to stare at him in awe. He heard one of them whisper faintly, "Oh my gosh, that's Jojo!" Her friend, dressed in green, gasped and said, "The Wopp boy!"

He winced a little. He hurried a little faster up the steps, which led to him tripping on the top one. The girls giggled, so he quickly regained balance and bolted into the school.

_Like in there was any better_.

The large hall was illuminated with fluorescent lights that buzzed every now and again; giving the place a sickly yellow-gray glow…considering the weather outside was crap. It must have been close to a rainstorm in the jungle of Nool. Students of all ages crowded the area near lockers, and one large, moving mass went right, left, forward, back, whichever way you needed to go, in the middle. He didn't hesitate. As soon as one of the Whoball players (Dill Dirkman, Jojo believed) called, "HEY, WOPP BOY!" he jumped into the flow of traffic. Walking with the chattering students towards the south wing of the school, he jammed his hands into his pockets.

In a matter of seconds, he hopped out of the mass and dove straight into the library, deftly landing at the entrance and carrying on to the back corner table, where one could sit and whisper in peace.

When nobody was watching, Jojo McDodd was pretty graceful.

"YOOOOOOOO, JO-MAH-WHOOOO!"

Jojo cringed…held up a hand and waved as he walked to one of the Who's sitting at the table. Milo didn't have an off switch.

"SHHHHHHHHHHUSH!" barked the librarian, Ms. Treacle, in a loud whisper yell. Jojo rushed as fast as he could to the table, where he knew he'd be out of sight and (at last) with the only people people who understood-STOP RIGHT THERE, JOJO!

That sounded so much like something an artsy, emo freak would say. Was he seriously that miserable? Was he so pathetic that he'd come to thinking that his three best friends in the entire world were the only ones who _understood _him? ARG. Jojo let out a small groan, smacked his forehead as he slumped into his normal chair, at the head of the small, square table. He let his head hit the table, and he sat there, feeling the eyes of three familiar Who's bore into his black muss of hair.

"Are you okay, Jojo?"

_That_voice was unmistakable. The only girl in their little quartet, Millie Smithers. Jojo grumbled something, and he heard another voice sigh and say, "He's fine. It's probably another epiphany."

Jojo shot straight up up, "I'm _not_having an epiphany!" He glared a little at Harold Lillikins, who merely shrugged and pushed his coke bottle glasses back up his nose.

"_Woaaaah, _dudes and dudette, let's just chillax, 'kay?" Milo Smithers easily calmed the situation with his peace, love, harmony vibes, and everybody sat back a little.

"…Harry, what's an epiphany?" Millie's high pitch, girly voice asked. Millie's twin, Milo, chuckled, and even Jojo cracked a small smile. Harold rolled his eyes and let out a gigantic sigh. "We've been over this before, Millie, an epiphany is…"

As Harold trailed off on the complete and total explanation of the word, "epiphany," and Millie followed along with great enthusiasm (though probably not getting a word of it) Milo leaned back and seemed to take a peaceful nap.

Milo and Millie Smithers had met Jojo back in the bad old days of Kinderwhoten, when they actually looked alike and were roughly the same height. That hadn't lasted long. It was only second grade when Milo hit a growth spurt that left him taller than every Who in school (even the teachers.) Milo had a small goatee thing on his chin (at least, Jojo assumed it was a goatee thing) and always wore a beat up Rasta hat. With his golden, white striped fur, hazel eyes, and naturally laidback attitude, he was a card carrying member of the, "RELAAAAAX" club. The kid's who lit up often asked Milo what he was on, and if they could have some, but however Milo acted was pure Milo. According to him, his body was a temple to the devout Who of Chillaxation. Though, he'd eat just about anything. Even that hideously gross Who Hash. And he never gained a pound.

Millie, his twin, was the group's own little ray of sunshine. Millie didn't have a mean bone in her body, probably because she didn't know _how_to be mean. Millie had a tendency to be…a little ditzy. She got the worst grades of the group, even with Harold helping her out all the time. Apparently, all the innocence and niceness and sunshine had taken up so much space in Millie, her brain had no room for fractions and English. She had Milo's fur and his eyes as well, but she was a good few inches shorter than him (though not as short as Jojo) and had her hair blonde hair constantly styled into pigtails. Oh, and shocker, her favorite color in the world was pink. She wore a soft pink trench over a pink skirt, and always had pink mittens at the ready if the weather turned nasty. She'd fit right in with the preppy Who girls, but she disliked (she didn't have the ability to hate) the way they treated other Who's and stuck close with her "loser" brother (who she believed was the coolest Who in Whoville) and best friends.

That only left Harold. Harold was the typical geek of the group, with a vocabulary the size of a dictionary and the personality to match. Harold was a walking trivia machine, and he even looked the part. He big, coke bottle glasses were always slipping down his nose, and he had gray eyes and slicked back, black hair. He always wore a button up, short sleeved shirt (with a pocket protector) and slacks. He had white and light blue fur, always kept in pristine condition (now that he didn't have _as_many bullies to worry about.) When he'd first come to Whoville in fifth grade, he was bullied EVERY day. The former trio came to his rescue one day, and ever since, they'd been this…group. And having a sweet girl like Millie in there spared them a lot of torture.

"So, gang," broke off Harold, after realizing that through the "Uh-huh's" and "Hmm's," Millie's eyes had glazed over. "It's a rocking Friday night! After prac-diddly-actice, what say we, you know, kick it at somebody's…oh, screw it. I think that it would be productive and extremely smart to just hang out today, perhaps make root in one of our home dwellings as soon as practice is over."

See, that was the thing with Harold. He was always trying to change his natural geek-speak to "hip lingo," to see if it would improve his standings with the ladies…he usually gave up half way through the sentence.

Millie giggled, and Milo nodded serenely. "Yeah, yeah, I'm feelin' yah, man. Jojo, Whaddya say? Wanna crash at our pad? Garage is clean as a whistle!" It had been established that of the three households possible to hang out at, Milo's and Millie's was the quietest (well, when band practice was over.) Harold, like Jojo, had many sisters (and brothers, the lucky jerk) most older, but quite a few younger. Milo and Millie were the youngest of their 10 person family, and their five brothers and sisters had already left for Whoniversity. That left their elderly Gram Grams, their mom, and their dad. Peace and quiet?

Oh yeah.

Jojo nodded, and Milo grinned. "Sweet! Movie night, bro's and sis!" He high fived Harold, and high fived a still giggling Millie. He held out a hand to Jojo, who looked at it skeptically.

"It's not gonna bite, Jojo," said Milo peacefully.

"That sounded oddly sexual, Milo," commented Harold, and Millie burst out laughing and had to smash her hands to her mouth to keep the librarian from coming. Then she looked up and said, "Harold…said…sex…" and collapsed laughing again. Typical innocent Millie, who didn't get the real joke.

Harold rolled his eyes, and Milo just laughed. Jojo grimaced, shook his head at the hand, and settled for a knuckle touch instead. "YEAAAH, Jojo's gettin' into the movie spirit!" Milo pumped his fist.

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" hissed the librarian, once again rushing to their table and staring with hard eyes. "Listen, if you don't shut your yaps in five seconds, you're not allowed back in here!"

"Mee mee me mee mee meee, meh mee me mee!" mimicked Harold, as soon as the librarian had left. Milo laughed, "Cute, man," Millie doubled over in another set of giggles.

And Jojo just rolled his eyes. Yeah. He was back at school, alright.

The bell rang just as Jojo slipped into his seat in 10th grade Whoglish. He'd endured only a single tripping on the mad dash to his seat, so he considered himself fairly lucky. He took a pencil and his Whoglish notebook from his old, gray backpack and slumped a little in his seat, making him even shorter than he really was. He peeked over the edge of the notebook at his teacher, who was dozing peacefully on her desk…with her eyes open.

Yeah, Miss Higgly was a weird one.

Suddenly, she snorted awake, dazed and confused. "Hmm? What? OH!" It finally registered that her students were here. "Ah, hello, everyone!" She stood, brushing herself off and said, "Well, it's finally Friday! I've got some curriculum for you, right here…" she looked around, "AHA! Here! We have a short worksheet, and then, I'll be revealing your October project!" A small groan rose from the class, but she merely waggled her finger at them and said, "Now now, children, education is important. You all know that!"

Obviously, Miss Higgly didn't know her own students.

Jojo sort of spaced out as she passed the worksheets around, fiddling with the end of his pencil, scribbling a set of lyrics on the edge of his notebook. His eyes glanced at the worksheet…PFFT, easy…and he quickly filled in the answers. He went back to wasting time.

Or, at least, he would've, had not something the color of crimson caught his eye at the door to the classroom.

"Uh, Miss Higgly?" Principal Richmond, who put the PAL in PRIN-CI-PAL, was clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses. Miss Higgly looked up, and then let out a delighted, "Oh! You must be the new student! Thank you, Rick, I'll take her from here."

Principal Richmond hurried away, and Miss Higgly clapped her hands together and announced, "Now, class! We have a new Who joining us at our school. I want everybody to say hello to Miss Ruby Kelsey!"

Jojo heard snickers, some girl comment, "Two first names? How grodily retro!" and a boy say, "I've only seen hair like that on a model, but she's too short!"

The only thing Jojo heard was his pencil drop from his grasp as he stared at the new girl.

Her hair was fire truck red, mussy in a lazy up do on the top of her head, a few locks that floated around her face. She had her sleeves rolled up, and a whoPod in her pocket. The look of disdain at the preppy girls up front was enough to tell Jojo that this girl was _not_the normal Whovillian. And her eyes were…well, they were a vibrant shade of blue that he couldn't name. Electric? Metallic? No, no. Something else.

And she was _short_.

He quickly dropped his gaze when her bright blue eyes drifted to his as she surveyed the class.

"Ruby, dear, why don't you tell us something about yourself? Where are you from?" Miss Higgly was hovering around the new girl as if she might break.

"Um…Why Town. I'm from Why Town." She cleared her throat, and when she saw Miss Higgly motioning for her to go on, she let out a sigh. "My Dad is a doctor. He came back to Whoville because of the recent, um…events. This whole other world outside of the speck thing is like gold to a doctor." Miss Higgly laughed happily, and the new Who bit her lip at the sneers from the class. "I was born here, but we left when I was four because my Dad felt like seeing the world. I can't remember Whoville at all, so…yeah." She re-shouldered her backpack, and Miss Higgly clapped.

"Wonderful, wonderful, Ruby! Now, let's see…ah! There's a seat right next to Jojo. There, in the back! Go ahead and sit down, and I'll give you a worksheet. I trust you're up with the current curriculum? Perfect!"

Ruby gave Miss Higgly a tight smile, walking down the aisle to her seat. When Miss Higgly turned her attention to something else, one of the snotty Who's named Priscilla Pumpernickel stuck her foot out to trip Ruby and said, "Why Town? How _lame_."

Ruby simply hopped over Priscilla's high-heeled shoe and snorted, "Like Whoville sounds any better. Can't be if it's got people like _you_ in it."

Priscilla's jaw dropped, and her friends gasped. Ruby didn't even look at her. She just kept walking and said loudly enough for the whole class to hear, "Yeah, Barbie, I went there." She slid into her seat next to Jojo, mumbled, "Plastic," then looked at Jojo and said, "Hi."

His eyes were still on his notebook, and he didn't acknowledge her…the crippling shyness was back, as was a need to stay silent.

"Um…hello?"

Jojo still wouldn't look up, but he gripped his pencil super hard.

"Uh, hey there? Habla Whoglish?" She waved her hand…and Jojo finally looked up, one eyebrow raised and frowning.

She winced, looking away, "I'll take that as a yes."

Jojo cringed, sighed. Already screwed it up. As she reached into her backpack to to grab a pen, he saw that it had been graffitied mercilessly with lyrics, slogans, and goodbye notes…probably from friends back in Why Town. One said, "Missing you already, the Why Town Hooligans aren't ever going to be the same!" …Why Town Hooligans? _I'm strange and I like it_, _It's just a shimmy and a shake, Comin' at you from every side, G-g-g-g-go home, it's over_. Songs that he all knew, a few that he had on his whoPod. His eyes caught at the lyrics on the underside of her bag. "HEY…don't write yourself off yet."

"Jimmy eats WhoWorld?" he asked tentatively.

The girl, surprised at the fact that he was talking to her, nodded. "Yeah, I love their music…wait, you recognized those?"

He nodded, turning back to his paper. He heard something blasting from her whoPod and easily recognized it. Even though the screen was locked and pitch black, he pointed at it with his pencil and asked, "Riwhona?"

"Oh, god, is it that loud?" She quickly adjusted the volume. Jojo, suspicious and a little confused, asked, "Wait, you listen to the Kills, Jimmy Eat WhoWorld…_and_ Riwhona?"

She laughed embarrassedly, "Yeah…I'm truly in Disturbia right now, you know?"

As Jojo and she went back to their worksheets, he let out a small laugh and breathed, "You have _no_ idea."

She grinned at him…and he smiled at his worksheet, a little bashful.

"Children? Children, please put down the busywork and look up here." Miss Higgly snapped her fingers four times or so, smiling serenely when she had everybody's attention. "Now, then. As you all know…" she stopped talking to give Ruby a charitable grin. "Well, almost everybody, we have an English project every month. Last month, we had the 'Celebrate Summer!' short stories." Jojo shuddered. Summer short stories…one genre a week…Romance, Comedy, Drama, and Fantasy.

Jojo. Romance. Comedy. No, such things did not click in a logical world.

"Well, since the great Who Poet, Whobert Frost, was born in the month of October…I'm going to call this project…'A-Poem-A-Day-Keeps-Teacher-Away!'" She giggled, amused with her joke.

Ruby's mouth dropped open in an odd expression of…disgust, regret, and a little bit of fear. She leaned over and whispered to Jojo, "Are all of our projects going to be 'titled' like that?"

Jojo, a little uncomfortable at the closeness, nodded and muttered, "You weren't here for 'Fun in the Sun' short stories." She snorted, resting her chin on her hands and listening to Miss Higgly.

"Each day, I'll give you a theme on the board," she tapped the chalkboard behind her for emphasis, "And you'll be writing a poem for this set theme-"

_It can't be that bad. It's like writing songs. Can't be that bad_.

"About your partner."

_It's that bad_.

Ruby's eyes widened a little behind her fake glasses, a frown shifting onto her face…The class started murmuring, and a distressed Priscilla raised her hand and demanded, "You mean…we're writing poetry about…_other_people?!" She gave the class a disgusted look, twirling her yellow curls as if it would protect her. Ruby snickered, and Jojo felt himself smile a tiny bit. That smile was squashed when Miss Higgly immediately started doling out partners to the students.

He watched as safe bets, unknowns, and people who he knew wouldn't give him too hard of a time were gone in a flash. It came down to the very wire. He and Ruby, Priscilla, and the linebacker for the WhoBall team, Tyler Jameson were all that were left…

_Not the linebacker, not the linebacker, not the linebacker_-

"Jojo, may I ask you a favor?" Miss Higgly put her hand on his shoulder and asked quietly, "Since you and Ruby seem to have already hit it off-" Ruby was watching the exchange with an amused expression, "would you mind pairing with her? Showing her the ropes of Whoglish, per say?"

Jojo's mouth dropped a little. He couldn't believe his luck! He cleared his throat and nodded a little, blinking when Miss Higgly's face lit up like a light bulb. "SPLENDID! That means _you_, Miss Priscilla, and _you_, Mister Tyler, will be partnered." She let out a contented little sigh, swept her arms up and announced, "The first topic is, 'First Impressions!' Just by looking at your partner, how would you describe them? You have the rest of the class period, children!" She hummed as she went back to her desk and started click clacking on her laptop.

Jojo, staring straight ahead, was half wavering between relief and SHEER TERROR.

Pretty girls made him nervous. And _this_ pretty girl was currently staring at him.

He rubbed his forehead with his left hand, sort of attempting to block her out, stuttering, "Um, w-what are you doing?"

"Analyzing you," she said simply. "Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" She gave him a tight lipped little smile, picking up her pen and starting on her poem.

Jojo, a little stunned, peered at the Who like she'd grown a third eye. She didn't seem to notice…or, at least, he thought she hadn't. When he cleared his throat, she turned the volume up on her whoPod (she was listening to The All-Whoville-Rejects.)

He sighed…and started on a poem.

_She's a weird one, alright_

_Eyes like an ocean, Hair like a light_

_Walking around like she owns the place_

_She's got good taste_

_A pretty face_

_And there's something about Ruby_

_That just says:_

_I'll eat you alive and rock out during dessert._

Little did Jojo know, pen had never put truer words to paper.


	4. Ch 3: I'm On My Way

GACK! It's been more than a week! Sorry to keep you hanging like this, but Finals wait for no hapless High Schooler. I'm here with Chapter Three, to tide you over for awhile I really hope you like it. It was heck to put together. Sorry if it's a little short, or if anybody is out of character (particularly Jojo!) I tried!

Enjoy! [:

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_What has society done to my favorite subject?!_

Ruby, a slight expression of horror drawn out on her face, stared over the Who High cafeteria. Everything was hustle and bustle during lunch…and _everybody_ had somewhere to sit. A small part of her was waiting for one of her many Art-Geek-Chic friends to raise a hand and call for her, or maybe see the Drama Who's yelling her name.

"Oh, Great Who in the Sky," she mumbled, panicking. Ruby quickly re-shouldered her backpack, eyes darting about this way, that way.

_Scanning for fellow Losers…Scanning…Scanning…AHA! TARGET OBTAINED._

She saw two Who's, looking depressed and sad, picking at their lunch with long, furry fingers and forks. One sighed…so did the other. Perfect.

Jumping over outstretched feet and ducking under trays, she made her way to the almost empty table and cleared her throat. "Uh…hi. Mind if I sit here?" She gave a hopefully nonchalant grin.

They stared at her, eyes droopy. They looked at each other…both sighed. And then, they got up, took their trays, and walked away together.

Ruby, blinking from the sting of rejection, stood there…then said, "Well, _that_ was depressing."

She heard giggles, and not the, 'Oh, poor thing, at least she's sort of funny!' kind. It was the, 'Wow, she's such a loser,' kind. She peered over her shoulder, expecting to see that snob Priscilla or something…she instead saw a group of Who's dressed in a mix of black a bright colors, with a very pretty Who in the middle, sneering at her.

Her eyes narrowed.

_Wannabe Emo's._

"What are you staring at?" Ruby demanded.

The lead Who-Girl sniffed and replied, "Um, _you_. Sweetie, that whole Geek thing hasn't been cool since the Dino's roamed." Her clone-like friends laughed. Her dark, midnight blue eyes challenged Ruby's electrics. Ruby immediately snapped, "Sorry, _hun_, but the Crypt Keeper called. He wants his cheap hair style back."

The girl's friends all gaped, and some of the boys stood as if to rush her. "Oh, sit down, you idiots," Ruby commanded. "Like any of you skinny-ass wannabe's could actually beat a Who down." They all looked at each other, offended…but they knew it was the truth. They sat back down.

The lead girl chuckled a superior chuckle. "Wow. Why Town wit. Not bad. I'd invite you to sit with us, but you don't fit the dress code." Ruby saw her lips about to form the word, 'cool,' so she snorted and cut her off. "What, you mean dead? I'd rather sit alone." And with that, she took off.

Her exit would have been perfect, if she had somebody to sit with.

Coincidentally, she did.

"RUBY! RUUUUUUUUBY!" Ruby heard her name being called (_Just like the old days_, she remembered wistfully,) and looked around the cafeteria.

People eating, people eating, people eating-THERE!

That girl...Millie, her name was Millie, from her Who-Gebra class (yeah, yeah, she was still in Who-Gebra) was waving her arms above her head and smiling, looking like a beacon of light, a grinning Who-Angel from above. A SAVIOR AMONG THE LUNCH CROWD!

She rushed in the opposite direction of which she came, towards Millie and the dirty lunch table tucked in a corner that seemed to shine, no matter the food stains. She slid into the seat, smacked her head down on the table and panted, "Thank-you-very-much." She had sort of, ah, ran there.

Millie giggled, "Oh, silly, it's no trouble! I'm glad you're sitting with us! You looked a little lonely!"

"Yeah, I was t-wait, Us?" Ruby looked up...for the first time, noticed the three boys who were staring at her inquisitively.

Actually, _two_ of the boys were staring. The other was covering half of his face with his hand, hoping she wouldn't see him.

"Um…hey." Ruby gave a half hearted, awkward little wave.

"Hey, there, little Who!" The freakishly tall, mellow dude with the Rasta cap offered a hand across the table. "Welcome to the table. Name's Milo." Ruby shook his hand, "Uh, Ruby Kelsey. Nice to meet you." She noticed the resemblance between him and Millie and wondered if they were related.

"Woah, Ruby. You're _tiny_," observed Milo.

Ruby laughed, a little relieved at his easygoing nature, and said, "I prefer fun-sized."

Milo nodded, smiling. "I approve, dudette, I approve."

She turned to her left, looking at Jojo with skeptical eyes. "'Afternoon, Jojo."

"hjfsasdg, Fury."

She frowned, blinked. "Uh…'scuse me? I didn't catch that."

"HELLO, RUBY," sighed Jojo, a little louder. He removed his hand tentatively, now sure that she could see him. She rolled her eyes, "Nice to see you, too." She turned back, and Millie and Milo were peering at them with interested eyes.

The stares were interrupted when the third boy cleared his throat and said, "Don't mind them, they lack the basic manners of a common Who-Fly." He also reached across the table and offered a hand, "Harold Lillikins. Welcome to Whoville." Ruby was automatically jealous of his glasses, which were nerdy, but awesome.

"Thanks. Nice meetin' you." Ruby smiled, and Harold nodded, satisfied with her greeting. He went back to devouring his lunch.

"So, what was up over yonder, in Emo territory?" blinked Milo.

"Pfft." Ruby waved her hand dismissively. "I _have_ Emo friends. _Those_ aren't Emo. Those are wannabes who don't have any real problems, but like to pretend." It was true. Richard, one of her best friends and keyboardist for the Why Town Hooligans, was a full-fledged E-MO. He listened to the music, hated confrontation because he was too sad for it, and had cut for a little while before getting emotional and mental help. He was clinically depressed, but he'd been a lot better ever since getting treatment. Still reminded Ruby of Eeyore, but she loved him.

She poked at the tray before her, sticking her tongue out at the gelatinous, green blob of food in front of her. "Queen Clone disliked my outfit. I dislike her hair, her personality, _and_ her outfit. We bonded."

Jojo stifled a small laugh. Ruby, out of the corner of her eye, saw him finally look at her and felt a smug sense of pride.

Millie gasped. "Wooow. You really told off Princess Midnight?"

Ruby, who had been sipping water, choked a little. "_Princess Midnight_?"

Harold piped up, "She's not actually a princess, and her name's not really Midnight. Her real name is Brittany Underminer. Her mommy and daddy are some of the richest Who's in Whoville. Like, richer than Jojo's family." He jerked a thumb at Jojo. Ruby was intrigued, but Harold didn't stop to explain, and Jojo most certainly didn't want to. The bespectacled Who continued, "She's, like, the Queen of Emo. And she's just as much of a bitch as the Preppy girls."

"Harold!" chastised Millie.

Harold shrugged. "What? You know she is. Anyways, she decided that Brittany wasn't dark enough, so she adopted the non de plume _Midnight_." He rolled his eyes and said, "and to top it all off, she's completely and utterly in love with Jojo here."

Jojo blushed a deep shade of crimson, covered his head with his arms and slumped onto the table.

Millie giggled, "I think it's cute!"

Milo shook his head, "Little man can do whatever he wants, but Milo thinks that's some baaad mojo right there."

"You got that right, Milo," added Harold matter-of-factly. He told Ruby simply, "While treating Jojo like he's some sort of Who God, she only gets near us-" he circled his finger around the general area of himself, Milo and Millie, "to tell us that we're losers, not to fit hang with King Jojo of dark, dreary rock music."

He turned to Jojo, as if to make his point clearer, threw his arms down on the table dramatically and bowed his head. "We are not _worthy, _my good king."

Millie laughed, Milo smiled and bowed, too. Ruby, with her elbow propped on the table, was grinning evilly at Jojo's obvious embarrassment. He looked at her, eyes downcast and mumbled, "I don't see what's so funny."

Ruby turned a little, and saw _Princess_ Midnight glaring at her with those dark eyes of hers. She smiled sweetly, waggled her long fingers as sort of a wave, her glasses balanced on the tip of her nose in a perfect, 'How's it feel to lose?' manner.

Midnight's glare turned deadly.

The redhead felt a chill go up her spine, turned away and shivered. _Yeesh, if looks could kill_.

Jojo covered his face with one hand and said through gritted teeth, "She's staring again."

Millie waved like an idiot, all sincere smiles…Harold, pinching the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache, pulled her back down and said, "Millie, sit. Heel…good girl." Milo chuckled.

Ruby rolled her eyes at Jojo, "Oh, Man up, kiddo." She proceeded to stick one earbud in her left ear, blasting "I'm On My Way," by the Proclaimers.

His eyes widened, an eyebrow raised. "Did you just call me _kiddo_?"

Ignoring his question, Ruby turned around and said, "Let loose. She's not gonna eat you…yet." With an evil grin, she redirected her gaze back to Midnight. Who was _still_ glaring.

In a flash of confidence, Ruby stuck her outstretched hand in front of her face, thumb on her nose. She waggled her fingers, crossed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue.

Midnight gaped…her eyes almost rolled back into her head from the disrespect.

Jojo, eyes wide in shock, grabbed her hand and hissed, "Are you _crazy_? Do you have a death wish? She'll skin you alive!" Ruby lounged against the table, refusing to break contact with Midnight. She was smirking.

"Hello from Why Town, Princess," she breathed smugly. "I'm definately on my way from misery to happiness today."

_I'm on my way._

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YIKES! Ruby's obviously looking for trouble, even if she doesn't know it. How will she fair in our next chapter? FIND OUT!...when I publish it. [:

Thank you all so much for reading!


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